Jag Malhi
Jag Malhi (born 10 December 1993) is an Indian film maker, actor, and producer. At the current age of 20, he is known for his "out of the box" movies such as Dunali, and 1914 - Canada based films. Jag has won two film scholarships while completing high school, one for Film making, and another for acting. After the release of 1914 in January 2014, he was appreciated across Canada with a wide audience for his "out of the box" story and directing.
After an interview with Jag Malhi and getting to know him better, he simply stated, " All I want to do is give our Punjabi Audience/Cinema a bigger and better platform with better movies then the ones that are currently being produced, which are only Comedy. I say lets give our people a wide range of genres and movies that they have never experienced before. When people come to the cinema to watch our movie, I want them to escape in the movie and get attached to the story, and that's something our industry needs work on. I want to make a platform in Canada for our people that have a passion for Film Making. People and famous actors say that the Punjabi Film Industry is dead, but I believe and have great hope for this industry - We can change the industry and make films comparable to Hollywood, and that's my only inspiration".
Starting only at the age of 14, Jag became part of the industry. Appearing in commercials, and filming his own short films.
Jag believed he could really make a difference with films, in 2013 he released a short film called The Sound of Violence, a story AbOUT an Indian girl being forced for an abortion because her baby was a girl. Jag was appreciated for this film and also got an interview with Dilbar Kang on Omin News.
Struggles
Having no platform in the film industry, especially in Vancouver, Canada. Jag struggled to get work. While looking for work at such a young age and no support, he stumbled upon a production company "WhiteHill Production" run by Manmord Sidhu based in Vancouver, BC. Jag finally landed an interview with the company and earned himself a spot in the company's next feature film, Jatt and Juliet 2.
At the age of 19, Jag Malhi came up with an idea regarding the KomaGata Maru. He writes a story and begins looking for a budget. After the support of Sukhi Bath and Harbhajan Gill (President of the Komagata maru association), Jag receives the budget and they go on with filming. Completing the film within seven days, with a run-time of one hour and 20 minutes, Jag makes his mark and surprises everyone. He landed himself tons of TV InterViews along with radio sessions.
2014
After the success of 1914, Jag lands himself a film with Jimmy Sheirgill, a film by Baljit Singh Deo. He was assigned as one of the assistant directors. A music video filmed and directed by Jag Malhi is pending on a release in the near future. Starring Kaka Canadian, Jag Malhi stated "You've never seen a music video like this one in our industry, you will know why once you watch it".
Jag is currently working with WhiteHill production again as an AD for their upcoming release, Sardar Ji, starring Diljit Dosanjh. Jag stated, he currently is writing a Indian action film (Canada based) and will start shooting early next year.